Court acquits Indian ex-telco minister of corruption

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (AFP): India's former telecoms minister was cleared Thursday of his alleged role in a multi-billion dollar rort that ballooned into one of the country's biggest-ever political scandals.
A New Delhi court acquitted A. Raja of corruption and also dropped charges against a slew of other bureaucrats and corporate executives implicated in the 2008 scandal that cost the state billions in lost revenue.
Judge O. P. Saini said there was a lack of evidence and Raja's supporters let off firecrackers outside the courthouse.
"I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that (the) prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any accused," Saini told a packed courtroom.
The so-called "2G spectrum scam" came to light when a government auditor concluded that the tender process for 2G spectrum allocation was tainted by bribes and wholesale fraud.